Marge Simpson joins the club...

In the last class, we discussed the concepts of embourgeoisment and debourgeoisment. As I thought about these two terms, an episode of The Simpson's quickly crossed my mind. There is no doubt that a majority of you have seen this, but I think it nicely displays an act of embourgeoisment. Nevertheless, in the episode, Marge Simpson meets and old friend at the gas station who invites her to join the Springfield Country Club. Of course Marge Simpson cannot turn her down, knowing how bubbly her personality is. Despite understanding that this club is predominately for upper middle class people, she decides to join. This gave her an opportunity to wear her $90 Chanel suit she had purchased at the discount fashion store prior to meeting her friend. But as Marge becomes aware, joining this club had completely changed her personality resulting in the neglect of her family. In the end she regrets joining and continues to live her ordinary life.

As one can see, Marge tried to become more like the upperclass, but in this case, she found it to be social stressful and destroying. This showed the process of embourgeoisment, whereby the working class takes on bourgeois culture.